A Different Sort of Twilight
by Crimson Catastrophe
Summary: What if Edward hadn't been there to save Bella from the car? What if when she arrived at the hospital Carlisle knew she was going to die? What if he changed her? Alternate universe. Read and Review, please.
1. Prologue

**The Change**

Bella awoke to darkness. She didn't know where she was or why she was there and she couldn't focus long enough to figure it out or even to be afraid. All she could focus on was the pain consuming every cell in her body. Was she dying ? Had the car really killed her?

_The Car_. The whole thing flooded her mind in an instant. The ice and snow, driving to school, stepping out of her truck, and then blackness. So this was it. She was dying. Although, maybe she was already dead, maybe this was hell. It felt like it.

Bella heard a familiar voice through the darkness. "I'm so sorry…" She wanted to tell them it wasn't their fault, whoever they were. They sounded so sincere. So sad. She opened her mouth to say this but all that came out was a shriek of agony as her pain intensified. "I'm sorry." said the voice again.

She felt a twinge of annoyance through the pain. The voice sounded so familiar, yet she just couldn't place it. She felt a cool cloth pressed against her forehead in an attempt to comfort her. She could just barely make out the features of the person before her.

"_Dr. Cullen?_" Her voice was weak and quiet but somehow he heard her for he spoke again.

"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry that you have to suffer so much but it was the only way. I promise I'll explain when it's over." She didn't really understand what he meant. When what was over? What did he need to explain? Where were the nurses and other doctors? Every other time she'd been in the hospital she'd been surrounded by people and noise but it was so quiet here, so dark, and Carlisle Cullen was the only other person she could see.

It hit her like the van that had started this mess. She wasn't in the hospital. She began to panic, the pain intensifying as her heart rate increased. Where was she? Why? And what did it have to do with Dr. Cullen?

She wasn't aware of how long she lay there, but Carlisle never left he stayed by her side pressing the cool washcloth to her forehead and offering apologies. For what, she did not know. Eventually, however, she began to feel the pain lessen.

It was very subtle at first, and it took her awhile to realize it but little by little she became aware of the pain receding. She began to notice other things, too. She felt different, stronger somehow. She could smell Carlisle beside her, hear the sound of his breathing, and , when she turned to face him, she could make out every detail of his tortured face.

As the pain disappeared, however, she became aware of something else. She was thirsty, but for something far more sinister than water.


	2. Explanations

**Explanations**

"What do you mean I can't see Charlie?" I screamed and the others winced away from me. First, I wake up in this house in agony with no understanding of what's going on. Then, they tell me that I should have died, but Carlisle turned me into a… I couldn't even think the word. And now, they tell me that I can't see my own family… forever.

"Bella," Carlisle pleaded, "You have to understand… Charlie thinks you're dead, and by now… so does everyone else. We can't stay here." I could tell by his expression that it pained him to do this to me, but what about my pain. If I could have cried I would have, if my heart had been beating it would have stopped.

"I didn't get to say goodbye." My voice broke, anguish replacing the anger I had been feeling. I sank to the floor, defeated. There was nothing I could do. I was leaving and I would never see anyone I loved ever again. Charlie would be devastated. And Renee, at least she had Phil to take care of her.

I looked around at the entire Cullen family. This was my life now. "When," I asked softly.

"Tomorrow night." I nodded slowly not surprised by this. After all, it would have to be soon, no one could see me.

"One more question," I said as the thought occurred to me. "Didn't Charlie wonder about the body?"

"I told him you were in bad shape, that it would be better if he didn't have to see you that way. He _elected_ to have a closed casket. The casket will of course be empty, but as far as every one is concerned, you are being buried tomorrow." I nodded again, this really shouldn't surprise me. Isabella Swan had ceased to exist. At least in the minds of everyone in Forks. I had become Bella Cullen, adopted child of Carlisle Cullen, a vampire.

"I know this is a lot for you to handle," came another voice, closer than I'd expected, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up into the dark eyes of Edward Cullen. "I'm sorry. I startled you. I thought you would have heard me coming."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, confused by his sudden change in behavior. "I thought you hated me."

To my surprise he grinned. It was an adorable lopsided grin and if my heart hadn't ceased to beat it would have gone into palpitations. "Is that what you thought? Well I suppose my behavior might have led you to think something like that. No, I never hated you, in fact quite the opposite." I noticed a flicker of _something _in his dark eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "No, I was merely trying not to kill you."

"Kill me?" That was something I had definitely not been expecting.

"Oh , yes. You see from the second I saw you, you smelled so irresistible that I could hardly control myself. It was all I could do not to attack that first day in biology and drink every drop of your blood. You still smell wonderful of course, just not in the same way. Now that you're no longer human, I don't have the same desperate need for your blood."

"Good to know," I replied, still trying to comprehend everything he'd just told me. "So why didn't you?" I asked as the details began to fall into place and make sense.

"We don't drink human blood. And …"he continued, leaning just a little closer, "there were other reasons."

"Such as," I prompted, genuinely curious.

"Well, for starters, you have no idea how good it feels to do _this_," he leaned closer so that his lips were barely centimeters from mine, "without wanting to tear your throat out." He pulled away suddenly, moving quicker than I'd ever seen any human ever move before. But then again, I reminded myself, Edward was far from human. "We can discuss that later, though. For now, Alice will show you to her room so that you can have a chance to think about everything."

The small pixie-like girl that I recognized as Alice, danced across the room toward me and grabbed my hand. "I'm Alice," she told me with a small smile, as she pulled me to my feet. I tried to smile back as she led up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. To my surprise, I followed easily and didn't stumble once, even on the stairs. Just one of the perks of being a vampire.

She opened the door and led my into a large spacious room filled with lots of expensive looking things. It was one of the nicest rooms I'd ever seen but something seemed to be missing. "Where's the bed?" I asked my surprise getting the better of me. There was a couch against one wall and a very comfy looking chair in the corner, but no bed.

"What's the point?" she replied with a shrug. "We don't sleep, so we don't really need beds, do we?" She entered the room and made her way to the couch, sitting down with the same rhythmic grace that she did everything. She motioned for me to sit down next to her. "This must be really hard for you. I wouldn't really know, I don't remember being human, but I can understand how much it must hurt."

"No…" I said softly. "You really can't." And she couldn't. there was no way that someone who couldn't remember being human could understand how hard it was to suddenly not be anymore. Someone who couldn't remember having a family and friends couldn't possibly understand the pain of having it all taken away without the slightest warning.

"Not quite," she agreed, "but I do know the others' stories so I have some level of understanding." It was quiet for a moment as they both sat deep in their own thoughts. "I knew what Carlisle was going to do the moment he decided to do it, and I feel bad that I was so happy about it. I hate being happy about something that hurts you so much. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you _will_ be happy with us someday. I can see it, and that's why I'm happy. You'll be a much better sister than Rosalie."

"Alice?" I asked surprised I hadn't thought to ask her before. "Can you see what my gift will be?"

"Yes," she replied, a wicked grin on her face.

"Will you-?"

"No," she interrupted, before I'd even gotten the entire question out. "I'm not going to tell you. It's so much more exciting when you figure it out yourself." I sighed, not wanting to exert the effort it would take to change her mind, and lapsed once more into thoughtful silence. She'd said that I would be happy with them, eventually. I wondered how long it would be, though. If I'd ever get over the gnawing pain I felt every time I thought of Charlie and Renee and the fact, and an unchangeable fact it was, that I would never, ever see either of them again.


	3. Conscience

**Conscience**

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not, nor have I or will I ever, own Twilight or any of the characters or events associated with Twilight. They belong to the one and only amazingly brilliant Stephanie Meyer. I am merely borrowing them temporarily. So, unfortunately, as much as I wish Edward belonged to me, he doesn't and I'm trying my best to accept that. (My therapist says I'm making excellent progress.)_

I don't know how long Alice and I sat there, side by side, neither of us uttering a sound. I was too shocked to say much of anything and Alice was restraining herself out of respect for my feelings, though I'm sure it was killing her to be so silent. Eventually, however, Alice stood up and left the room mumbling something about talking to Carlisle.

She had barely been gone a few minutes when I heard a soft know on the door. I ignored it, not feeling much like talking to anyone. The door opened slowly and Edward entered, shutting the door swiftly behind him.

"How are you?" he asked gently, taking the seat Alice had just vacated. I shrugged, I didn't feel much like discussing that particular subject. "I'm sorry it has to be like this," he whispered moving closer. "I was really hoping I could get to know you under… better circumstances."

Of all the things I'd expected him to say this was definitely not one of them. I'd expected, if anything, for him to come in here and tell me how bad he felt, like all the others had. This, however, caught me off guard. "Were you really?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

He smiled sadly, looking almost disappointed. "Yes, believe it or not, I really was. Since the first time I saw you I found you very… intriguing."

"You mean because of the whole obsessed with my blood thing?" I didn't really see any other reason for him to take an interest in me. After all, I wasn't all that interesting. I was just an average high school girl… up until now, anyway.

"There was that…" he replied, "but there was also something else." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "You know that I can read minds," he began. "That's my gift. But for some reason, I haven't been able to read yours. I'm not sure what it is about you, but… somehow you are immune to my gift."

I was silent for a moment, absorbing this new piece of information. Why would Edward's gift work on everyone else but not on me. "Alice's gift still works on me, though," I muttered thoughtfully. "Jasper's does, too." I remember Jasper's calming aura as they sat me down to explain what had happened. I just couldn't understand why Edward's should be any less effective than theirs had been.

"Carlisle says he's never heard of anything like this before. We're not really sure why you seem to be immune to my gift, but not the others'. He thinks it might be a mental thing, seeing as my gift affects your mind, while the others' abilities don't." He was quiet for a moment, a look of concentration on his perfect face. "What are you thinking?" he asked, a slight note of irritation in his voice. "It drives me crazy not being able to hear you thoughts. I'm so used to knowing what everyone else is thinking. I feel so… deaf… if that makes any sense."

"I guess I can see what you mean," I replied, "about the whole deafness thing. I'm really not thinking about anything interesting, though. Just about Charlie." A fresh wave of pain washed over me at the sound of his name. I missed him so much already, and I hated that I was causing him so much pain. Renee, too. I hated to think of how hurt they must be, grieving for their lost daughter. At least I knew that they were alive. That was something, wasn't it?

"I know it hurts now," he said sadly, "but it will get better eventually. Not perfect, but better." There was a sadness in his eyes that I hadn't noticed before, traces of pain behind the perfect golden color of his eyes. "You'll miss them, I'm not saying you won't, but over time , you'll be able to move on. We've all had to go through it, and I'll try to make it as easy as I can for you. I never wanted this to happen to you."

There was an honesty, a sincerity in his voice that I'd rarely heard since moving to Forks, actually that I'd rarely ever heard in anyone at all. I knew that he meant it. They all did. It truly hurt them to see this happen to me. _Vampire with a conscience._ I thought with a small giggle._That's not something you hear about everyday._

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AN: I know the last few chapters have been very short and I haven't posted in a while. I'm going to start trying to write longer chapters, though, and update quicker. I've just been really busy. Between the play, school, and homework I barely have time to sleep let alone write. Hmmm… too bad _I'm_ not a vampire. Oh Eddie dear… 


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